Marked
by dogbertcarroll
Summary: Tara's death was a low point in the gang's history, so when given a chance to change her fate, Xander grabs it tightly with both hands, but how will a girl from the sticks react to a boy raised on the Mouth of Hell?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own no intellectual property claimed by Mutant Enemy or Joss Whedon nor is anyone paying me to write this... Not even Dr. Pepper, the refreshing and original soft drink that has no equal!  
**

"Hi!" Xander said, startling the blonde haired girl who jumped and gave off a little shriek.

"H-hi," Tara stuttered out, shrinking into herself and averting her eyes to the floor.

Xander winced, finding it actually physically painful to see Tara looking so downtrodden. "I'm here to kidnap you. My name is Xander."

Tara's eyes opened so wide Xander thought they might fall out, before she remembered herself and quickly stared at the floor, shaking.

"Let's go pack your bags, we only have a couple of hours before the menfolk wake up."

"W-wake up?" Tara asked as she automatically moved to obey his commands.

"Tranquilizer pistol," Xander explained as he followed her to her bedroom, taking note of scratches on the hardwood floor that showed she'd blocked the door with her dresser more than a few times.

Tara pulled out a half dozen old fashioned dresses like the one she had on, colorless, shapeless, about as feminine as sackcloth and ashes, and laid them on the bed. She paused at her dresser and Xander quickly said, "I'll step outside and let you pack your unmentionables yourself. Let me know when you have everything."

"Okay," she said quietly.

It was only a couple of minutes before the door opened and Tara came out with a large Levi purse that almost qualified as a backpack.

"I- I'm ready," she said meekly.

"You'll need to take your mother's things," Xander said. "If you leave them here, your father will destroy them."

"They're l-locked in a trunk," she almost whispered. "Da-daddy didn't want them influencing anyone."

"Show me where," Xander said.

Tara shrank away from him as she stepped around him before leading him into the cellar where a large steamer trunk was chained shut. "Da-daddy didn't want any — anyone opening it."

Xander picked it up with some difficulty. "I'll cut the chains off when I get a chance so you can access your mother's things again," he promised. "I've parked our ride out front, but you best lead the way just in case I fall carrying this up the stairs."

Tara walked ahead of Xander and didn't even try to run away or push him down the stairs, both of which would have been absurdly easy to do with him burdened the way he was.

A Winnebago covered in camouflage netting was in front of the house. The engine was running quietly only noticeable by the exhaust vapor, visible in the light from the porch.

Xander set the trunk down and opened the door. "Get in," he ordered, following behind her and guiding her to the front passenger seat, "and buckle up."

It seemed no time at all had passed before he'd placed the trunk in the back and climbed in the driver's seat.

She was surprised he could see with the headlights off and the sun not yet risen, but he seemed to do fine as he took her from the dirt roads in her hometown to the pavement of the deserted interstate.

It was over an hour before he pulled into an empty rest stop and started removing the camouflage netting. "You can get out, stretch your legs, and use the restroom," he suggested.

Tara used the restroom and gathered her thoughts. she wasn't sure why he'd kidnapped her, but the fact that he knew about her mother meant it was probably for something bad. She'd try and run but she had nowhere to go, even if she could get away from him.

Xander had set Tara's mother's trunk on a picnic table and was using a hacksaw to cut through the chain on it, when she returned. "I'll have it opened for you in just a minute," he said before finally cutting through the lock and removing the chains. "It's all yours," he said motioning her towards it.

Tara placed her hand on it and felt a warmth she associated with her mother and one that signified her mother had blood warded it. "I-I need a few things to open it," she admitted.

"Anything rare or can we pick it all up at your standard magic shop?" he asked.

"I- I've never been in a shop," she admitted.

"That's okay," he assured her. "I'll take you to one and we'll see where we have to go from there."

She nodded quietly while he loaded the steamer trunk back in the Winnebago.

"Do you want to see Vegas, the Grand Canyon, or anyplace like that?" Xander asked.

"Wh-what?" Tara stuttered out, surprised.

"We are going to be traveling for a while and the destination isn't really important, so what part of the U.S. would you like to see?" Xander asked.

"I-I don't know," she admitted.

"You always gave off a nature vibe," Xander said, having figured she would have said something like that. "So… Crater Lake national park it is."

Despite herself Tara looked interested.

"We'll hit a magic shop on the way so you can have access to your mother's stuff," Xander promised. "I don't have a plan and I didn't really think much beyond kidnapping you. So, I figure giving you access to your mother's things will make you feel safer and more secure."

Tara nodded, wondering how powerful he was that he needn't fear her using magic against him. It was a frightening prospect.

"Do you have any objections to dying your hair black and putting it in a braid?" he asked.

She quietly shook her head.

"I also have some clear glasses for you to wear and we'll see about getting you some new clothes," Xander said, figuring out the easiest way to change her appearance, in case her family reported her missing.

She nodded, worrying about how he would make her dress. Was he going to make her dress like those girls father had pointed at on TV and called whores? Would she be able to resist or would this awaken her succubus blood and start her descent into becoming a whore herself?

It was a two hour drive to the next town and his attempts to sing along with the radio convinced her he was a demon because nothing human should sound that bad!

**Typing by: Stephenopolos**

**AN: Kidnapping someone, even for a good reason, doesn't leave the best of impressions…**


	2. Chapter 2

Xander pulled into a fleabag motel that was sleazy enough to give the Sunnydale Arms competition for its title spot. "I'll be right back," Xander told her as he parked in the middle of the lot to avoid attention.

Tara nodded timidly, averting her eyes and opening her demonic senses as much as she could. The motel spoke to her and what it said was shameful. It spoke of sex and sin, and hundreds of frantic couplings by people driven by lust and a churning need for some sort of human contact. She could feeling it calling her, promising anonymity, promising to hide her from the eyes of the community, whispering about the pleasures of the flesh she'd been taught to abhor.

"Eeep!" She'd jumped a little when Xander had returned, startling her from her thoughts.

"I've got the key," Xander said, before climbing into the back of the motor home and retrieving a small bag he'd gotten from the drugstore on the edge of town when they'd entered.

Tara's eyes widened as she saw the bag. She'd never imagined demons using condoms, but maybe it had something to do with her being a succubus like her father had said. Maybe he was afraid she'd drain him like she would any poor boy she coupled with outside the sanctity of marriage.

"Lock the door behind you," Xander said as he locked the door on the driver's side.

Tara obeyed, and followed Xander into the motel room wondering if this was going to hurt, as the preacher said the first time always did, to remind them that it was dirty and not recreation, or if it would be like a wave a pleasure that would tempt her into sinning willingly, while making her crave it like a drug, till all she could do was beg for a man to couple with her like a beast in the field, not caring who it was or even if she was related to them, as her father had warned her… repeatedly, especially when he was drinking.

The sound of the motel door closing behind her made her pulse skyrocket and her heart beat loudly in her ears.

"I'll be ready for you in just a minute," Xander promised as he walked over to the sink with the bag.

Tara had to force herself not to look, knowing that the temptation to look upon his genitals was the demon in her trying to come out. She'd always known it would end like this, that one day her demon side would break free and drag her into a den of depravity where she would slake her ever-present lusts and lose her humanity. In a way it was a relief to get it over with.

She'd never again have to spend all night on her knees praying for her lustful urges to go away again, only to find it'd done no good and the urges were still there when the sun rose. She didn't have to worry that her deviant and sinful nature would tempt the menfolk in her family from the path of righteousness and lead them into sin. All she had to do was stop holding back the demon inside her and it would take over and she'd be free from worry and uncertainty.

Mind made up, Tara unbuttoned her dress with a trembling hand and let it fall to the floor so she was just wearing her shift, which only hung down to her knees.

"Put this towel around your neck and put on these goggles," Xander told her, as he handed her the aforementioned items and moved a chair to the sink.

Tara did as instructed while keeping her eyes tightly shut, suddenly nervous all over again. 'How much seed would he release that I need a towel and goggles in advance?!' she wondered in a kind of stunned horror. His guiding her to a seat in front of the sink was both comforting and nerve-racking as it let her sit so her knees didn't give out, but she was also very aware it put her head at waist level.

She kept her eyes tightly closed, letting him guide her into the position he'd chosen to start in. She forced herself to breath calmly, as the room whispered the details of various acts that had been performed in it and what was involved, so she knew she needed to take some deep breathes now while she had the chance before he began.

Xander turned on the faucet and Tara jumped a little as she sat there with her eyes tightly clenched shut, breathing a bit heavily through her half-open mouth. He wasn't sure why she was so tense, but he knew it would probably take some time before she felt comfortable around him.

Tara was confused when he started wetting her hair and massaging her scalp. Slowly opening her eyes she was a bit disappointed to discover he was still wearing pants and was… dying her hair. She wasn't sure how he was keeping control of himself, considering the environment they were in. She let out an involuntary moan of pleasure as he massaged her scalp and felt a spike of lust, but he quickly pushed that down and all she could sense was the shroud of darkness that covered him once more.

Xander knew he was spending more time than needed on Tara's hair, but it felt good to see the lines of tension fade a little. Okay, hearing almost sexual noises as he massaged her scalp probably made him feel a little too good. "Now for your eyebrows," Xander announced, before carefully adding dye to her eyebrows, after making sure the goggles were firmly in place. "Now we just wait a little while and then rinse it out," Xander told her. "We are going for shimmering black, so that means we wait for the maximum amount of time and then massage in a special cream of some kind."

"O-okay," Tara said softly when she realized he was waiting for a response.

"I have some horn-rimmed glasses with clear lenses for you to wear that I picked up in the discount bin, since they were part of the leftover Halloween overstock from the year before. Next we are hitting a thrift store for some clothes that are more appropriate than the ones you have on… erm, had on," Xander said flushing a bit and trying not to pay too close attention to her. "I remember some of the outfits looked pretty good in a modest, medieval peasant sort of way," he said absently trying to make small talk with the nervous girl who had been a couple years older than him in the original timeline but was now the opposite.

Thankfully the timer Xander had set went off after a few more minutes of meaningless babble, before either of them got too uncomfortable. While massaging in the shining color crème, Tara found herself moaning again, not used to the simple pleasures of a scalp massage or the touch of another person that wasn't a shove or a smack. Xander found himself lingering over the massage a bit and buried his guilt by telling himself it was helping Tara relax.

Once Tara was dressed again and had a chance to see herself in the mirror she found herself staring. The dark haired girl with the horn-rimmed glasses barely looked like her. Her hair was shiny and bouncy like one of the whores on TV and the glasses hid the lines around her eyes caused by worry and stress. She'd entered the hotel room ready to give up her humanity to the demon that had taken her from her home, only to find that wasn't what he wanted just yet.

As they left Tara couldn't help but be confused by the events. The demon who'd kidnapped her had an aura of evil and darkness that completely overwhelmed her own meager light, yet he spoke and acted kinder than any of the good men in her church and he ignored any rebellious thoughts or emotions she had and only reacted to what she physically showed like a pure human would. She'd been prepared for many things, but kindness wasn't one of them, she was confused over how she was supposed to respond. It had been a lot simpler when he was simply a demon come to… plunder her and make her one as well.

**Shopping**

Xander smiled encouragingly as Tara looked through the racks of clothes in the thrift shop for something better to wear. She'd seemed really hesitant to choose anything so Xander was simply collecting anything she showed the slightest interest in and was making a big pile.

Tara examined a blouse, the history of it catching her attention but not in a good way; the previous owner had been a sadist who babysat children just so she could punish them. She frowned and was relieved to see Xander dismiss buying the blouse unlike the huge amount he'd already collected. She was beginning to get the hang of shopping with Xander, which seemed to require facial expressions to get him to reject items. Xander had collected some pretty foul items before she'd realized that fact.

Seeing Tara eye the pile of clothes he'd collected, Xander started holding up items one by one and gauging her responses. He was pretty sure he was reading her correctly as he discard items that received frowns and nose wrinkles, while keeping ones that got interested looks and shy glances away. He couldn't see rhyme or reason in her choices as identical blouses often garnered opposite responses, but then he knew he didn't understand women's taste in clothes anyway. Tara glanced around the store but didn't look like she saw anything else interesting and Xander figured they had enough clothes for the moment, so he held up the pile and gestured towards the front of the store with his chin.

The cashier, an older lady in her mid 50's, smiled when she saw them and started signing with her hands.

Xander smiled back, glad he'd learned sign language to help him communicate in case The Gentlemen ever returned, and signed back once he'd set down the clothes.

Once they were gone, the cashier turned to one of the stock girls and said, "What a cute deaf couple."

"Would you like to learn sign language?" Xander asked Tara as he started the motor home.

"It would be nice," Tara said quietly, surprised to find she hadn't stuttered, but still spoke at so low a volume he had to strain to hear.

"I'll teach you while we do laundry," Xander promised. At her look he explained, "They may have washed them - but they might not have, and they generally use a poor quality soap that may cause irritation, so when buying used clothes always wash them yourself before wearing them."

Tara nodded, seeing how that made sense, and was once again struck by how strange the demon was and wondering what purpose teaching her sign language served and in what manner she'd be expected to repay him. Maybe something involving her hands? Tara blushed as she considered the whispered possibilities some of the slacks knew.

Tara was tempted to close her demonic senses tightly and pretend he was just a normal human, but couldn't bring herself to do so. She knew he'd already started her down the path to hell by tempting her to use her demonic gifts, but the sense of freedom she felt was simply too great to ignore. Even if it cost her soul, she wasn't going to hide from what she was anymore!

Xander started humming along with the radio feeling a bit happier as he saw that Tara looked a bit more relaxed.

Tara sighed internally but refused to change her mind, even if the cost she bore was his singing, she wouldn't change her mind!

**Typing by: Thoriyan!**


	3. Chapter 3

Xander had taken Tara to the state park and walked the trails with her. The park was wonderful, filled with life and the beauty of nature. The only downside had been the fact that since she was no longer hiding her demonic nature, she attracted lustful gazes everywhere she went.

Xander had stuck close to her and scared off anyone who had gotten too close and made her nervous. Was it strange that she felt a warmth in her chest from how protective he was? She wasn't sure. It was nice to be valued and have someone who both said and acted like they cared; he even projected the emotions to match, which was comforting even though they had to be lies.

"Tomorrow we'll head into town and check out that magic shop," Xander told her as he followed her into the RV parking area and opened the door to the motorhome.

Tara nodded shyly, a small smile on her face as she climbed inside. They'd used the campground toilets to shower and had a couple of burgers while watching the sun set. It was time for bed and she was both yearning and dreading what would happen next.

Xander changed the table and benches into a bed and retrieved extra blankets and pillows from the closet. It had been a long day and he was worn out. "Your bed is up there," Xander said, pulling back the curtain in the small section over the front seats where the smaller bed was.

"Oh," Tara said surprised. She stripped down to her shift, blushing at how little privacy there was in the small RV. She obediently climbed into the bed over the cab and laid down.

Xander stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed, looking forward to a good night's sleep. The last week had been hectic and he'd barely gotten four hours sleep a night while scrambling to get the resources to rescue Tara. He made a mental note that next time he made a wish he'd include the resources to do the job.

He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Tara laid in bed waiting for something to happen. She wasn't sure what, but surely she wasn't going to spend her first night after being kidnapped by a demon quietly sleeping, right?

After almost half an hour had passed, she peeked out of the curtains and saw he was asleep. Maybe it was a trick? She thought about it but couldn't see what the trick could be.

She watched him sleep for a few minutes before she realized she was waiting for him to come and get her. For an evil demon he was being surprisingly patient. Maybe he was waiting for something?

Maybe she was supposed to go to him? Tara's heart beat loudly in her ears as she slowly slipped out of bed and climbed down into the cab. She was a succubus, of course she was supposed to go to him.

Tara slowly tiptoed towards the sleeping demon. She was ready to fulfill her destiny and put an end to all her doubts once and for all!

Looking at him sleeping peacefully, illuminated by the moonlight through the window she could almost believe he was just a man, but her demonic senses told her otherwise.

Taking a deep breath she stripped off her shift and crawled onto the bed. He was so deeply asleep that he didn't stir even when she lifted up the covers and slid in next to him.

Tara could feel the heat he radiated just inches away from her. She hesitated to cross those final few inches and cursed her timidity. She reminded herself that she was a demoness created for the sole purpose of fornication and corrupting good men like her daddy.

With those comforting thoughts in mind Tara decisively scooted right next to him and laid an arm across his chest.

Xander instinctively turned and wrapped his arms around her cuddling her to him.

Tara lost herself to the sensation of warm skin, and the musky smell of the demon. It was everything she'd been hoping for. Feeling comfortable and safe, all the tension she'd built up drained away and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Xander woke up slowly, noting a weight on his chest. Glancing down at the shimmering black hair and then up at the open curtain he realized Tara must have climbed into bed with him.

It was not something he'd expected, but if Tara had felt lonely and didn't want to sleep alone he could hardly begrudge her. He was a bit surprised, to put it mildly, that she already felt comfortable enough to sleep next to him, but he supposed getting away from the poisonous and repressive place she'd called home would have improved anyone's outlook.

"Morning Tara," he said as she slowly stirred.

Tara froze as she realized where she was until she recalled how she'd gotten there. "Morning," she said softly.

"How does breakfast sound?" he asked cheerfully.

While she was relieved that he wasn't upset at her actions her arms tightened around him not wanting to move yet. It felt good to be held. She was a succubus so obviously she needed intimate contact and she had a gnawing hunger in her chest that wasn't yet satisfied.

"Or we could lay here for a few more hours," Xander offered.

"Yes," Tara said softly.

"Any idea on what you'd like to do today?" Xander asked. "I figure we'd find an IHOP for breakfast then head for a magic shop. Not sure what to do after that, I mean my whole goal was to get you. Now that I've got you, I don't have anything else planned."

"I hop?" Tara asked.

"The International House of Pancakes," Xander explained.

"Oh," she said, her stomach growled but she ignored it. Hunger for food was nothing new, having been forced to fast many times, the hunger she was feeding right now was more important.

"We can eat and then come back to bed," Xander offered.

"Really?" she asked doubtfully, recalling all the broken promises her life had been littered with, from her father's promises of the church providing solutions, to her mother's promises that she would be fine.

"I 'Alexander Lavell Harris' do swear on all that I hold sacred, that if you feel the need to be held, I will do my best to fulfill it," Xander swore melodramatically, thinking he'd get a giggle out of her.

"I… suppose," Tara said slowly and her arms loosened but she'd scarcely lifted a few centimeters away before she lunged back down and gripped him even tighter. "Food isn't that important," she said hopefully, her legs wrapping around one of his as well.

"I have bottled water and granola bars in the RV," Xander said. "It's a bit light for breakfast, but it will do for now."

"Okay," Tara said.

"So, I can get them?" Xander asked.

"Yes," Tara agreed.

"Are you going to let go?"

"No," Tara admitted.

"So, I need to get food and water without letting you go," Xander said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Tara agreed.

"I can handle that," Xander said. "Okay, what we'll do is move your legs around my waist and I'll carry you to the cabinet and back, Okay?"

"Alright," Tara said.

Xander slowly sat up, Tara keeping an iron grip on him. "How long has it been since you've been held?" he asked softly.

"Since before Mama got sick," Tara whispered. "Three years… maybe a little more."

His arms tightened around her. He couldn't imagine going a week without a hug or some form of friendly or affectionate contact, much less three years!

"I… I started to affect the men folk," Tara said shamefully, "touching me would just be asking for trouble, papa said."

Sitting up he buried his face in her hair and stroked her back, which was a lot barer then he'd expected but didn't matter to him at the moment. "Looks like we are spending the day in bed."

"Really?"

"Really," he said firmly, making a mental note to send as much legal problems her father's way as possible. He made sure to keep an arm around her as he removed the blanket and scooted down the bed, so he could stand up.

Tara shivered a little and squeezed him tighter.

It only took a minute to retrieve a half dozen bottles of water and a box of granola bars before returning to the bed and lying back down.

Tara relaxed a little once they were under the covers once more and she had her legs wrapped around one of his. "Can… can you stroke my back some more?"

"I'll do it while you eat a granola bar," Xander bargained.

"Okay," Tara agreed.

Xander unwrapped a granola bar and passed it to her. Once she took it, he softly stroked her back, alternating hands so one stopped as the other began.

Tara's eyes closed and she sighed, feeling happier than she'd recalled feeling before.

"Eat," Xander reminded her. After a few minutes of silence Xander asked, "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

"Why me?" Tara asked softly. "There are other women in my family. Beth is a lot more… outgoing."

"You deserved to be rescued," Xander said. "You see… I'm not exactly from around here."

"I noticed," Tara admitted.

"I remember things that haven't happened yet," Xander explained.

"You can see the future?"

"I can see one future that happened when I couldn't see the future," Xander said. "I don't get updates or anything, just the one future that will no longer happen."

"So, you know everything you would have learned your entire life?" she asked curiously, thinking of having all the knowledge and skills she would ever learn available right now.

"That would be useful," Xander said, "but sadly I just have over four years or so, maybe a bit closer to five."

"Having instant knowledge of four years of college would be wonderful," Tara said wistfully, knowing her family would have never allowed her to go to college and not sure if demons bothered with it.

"I didn't go to college, I got a job in construction and became a foreman," Xander said, "but I also met a lot of people during that time and one of the people I met was you."

"Me?" she blurted out surprised. He knew her after she'd become a demon?

"Yes, you," Xander said. "I remember how miserable your family made you and I decided you didn't need to go through that when I could prevent it, so here I am."

"What kind of relationship did we have?" she asked, suddenly finding the answer really important. What were relationships between demons like? Were they anything like humans?

"You were seeing someone else on and off," Xander said tactfully, "but you were always my friend and my friends are the most important people in my life." He stroked her back.

"We didn't date?" she asked disappointed, but happy to learn that demons had friends.

"I would have said yes in a second," Xander told her, "but you were already seeing someone. Anyway, that's minus a bunch of secrets, pretty much the whole story. I knew the future, I changed the future and now we return to the Mouth of Hell and get enrolled in school."

"We're going to Hell?" she asked, while wondering what kind of schools they had. Corruption 101, Fornication for beginners, Legal Possession Pre-law?

"The Mouth of Hell," Xander explained, "Sunnydale California, a small town that sits atop a half open portal to hell."

Tara wrinkled her nose, recalling what her family and the people in church had said about California. "Hell sounds better."

Xander laughed. "I have it on good authority that Hell sucks as much for the demons as it does the humans, though there are still a number of demons who haven't gotten the memo, so I spend a lot of time trying to keep the Hellmouth closed."

"You spend your time preventing the End of Days?" she asked in shock.

"Some of it," Xander said, "in between work or school and hunting vampires."

"You hunt vampires?" she asked, wondering if that was a common demonic hobby.

"I hunt anything that is hurting people," Xander said. "Vampires killed a friend of mine, so I may have some anger issues in that direction."

"So, you like the world as it is, just with less vampires and… more people?" she asked, thinking Xander was a very complex demon.

"Some of my best friends are human," Xander joked with a grin. "But seriously, most vampires and demons I could do without. There are only a couple of vampires I find even tolerable and most peaceful demon races avoid the Hellmouth."

"Peaceful demon races?" Tara asked curiously.

"While individual demons may vary, most Brachen are stand up guys," Xander said recalling Cordelia telling him about Doyle. "They intermarry with humans so much the only way to tell them apart is that they transform when they sneeze and when you get below a quarter Brachen they don't even do that. Strong and tough, nose like a bloodhound, but often have drinking problems. Me personally, I avoid drinking; too many alcoholics in my family."

'Ah, he's part Brachen,' Tara realized, deciding she'd have to read up on all the different demon breeds if she got the chance. She smiled at the thought that maybe he wasn't acting and the reason his aura was so at odds with his behavior was because of his demon blood.

"I should probably get some books on the subject," Xander said thoughtfully. "I don't have much of a library at the moment and I'm kinda used to having at least a decent reference section on magic and demonology."

"What about science and literature?" Tara asked, thinking of all the books she'd seen, but wasn't allowed to check out of the library because they were 'trash and nonsense.'

"I mostly went for practical books," Xander admitted. "Which reminds me…"

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Tara stared around her fascinated. Ingredients her mother used sparingly, hand crafted tools, and books of forbidden knowledge filled the shelves around her.

"Anything you want, just bring it to the counter," Xander told her. "Don't worry about the cost, it's on me."

Tara nodded. He had been spending a lot of money on her since kidnapping her, far more money than her father ever had in fact. When the preacher had been talking about the wages of sin, she had never imagined it would include paying for her books, else she probably would have fallen into the devil's hands even faster than she currently seemed to be.

Xander smiled at seeing Tara showing hints of life and curiosity. Turning away he started browsing the shelves himself, looking for anything of interest. Recalling some of the things they had run across in the future, he picked up several books on protection magics and easy to use rituals. He hadn't even realized they'd made 'For dummies' magic books.

Tara looked at the stack of books on the counter and then at the stack in her hands. Was she being too greedy?

Xander placed a stack of books on top of the ones she'd set on the counter and then took the ones out of her hands to place on those. "Don't forget the herbs," he reminded her.

Tara stepped forward and hugged him tightly, like a shameless hussy, not even caring that they were in public.

"Flowers are cheaper," a college aged man noted with a grin.

"Books don't wilt," Xander replied as he held the ecstatic witch.

The woman next to the man elbowed him. "Take notes Harry," she told him, "that's the proper way for a man to treat his girl."

"And yet you don't treat me like that in public," Harry retorted.

"You don't buy me stacks of books," she replied.

"What would you do if I bought you a stack of books like that?" he asked curiously.

She smirked. "I wouldn't let you out of bed for days."

"Suddenly I feel the need to buy a lot of books," Harry said brightly.

Tara slowly released Xander, blushing bright red. She hadn't even been aware one could whore themselves out for books. On considering the matter, she decided it was probably a good thing she hadn't known until now.

"Let's finish up here and get some lunch," Xander said.

"Okay, but then straight to bed," Tara said firmly.

"A whole lot of Books!" Harry told his girlfriend.

**Typing by: fyrewolf5 (so happy to see this one picked back up, and still a complete lack of proper communication, I feel like I need to be snacking on popcorn while reading this)**


	4. Chapter 4

Tara barely restrained herself from dancing as they reached the motorhome with a large stack of books, though it was a near thing.

"Let's find a nice park and get some reading done, sound good?" Xander asked.

Tara signed yes with a bright smile, making Xander laugh. Being a succubus was wonderful! She got snuggles and books! Sinful thoughts about finding a way to combine the two made her knees tremble for a second and her breath shudder. She was thankful that Xander was opening the door and hadn't noticed.

"I saw a park on the map that isn't too far away," Xander said, "we could get some drinks and spend the afternoon reading in the park."

"I-I'd like that," Tara said softly.

"Then that's what we'll do," Xander said, waving her into the motorhome.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Xander laid out a blanket for them to sit on beneath a tall tree so they could lean up against it while they read. A picnic basket and a stack of books was set down and made them blend in with the college crowd, though probably only about a third of them were studying.

He sat down and patted the blanket next to him for Tara to sit. The sound of laughing students and random discussions filled the air as the two settled in to read. He noticed Tara was occasionally distracted by the way the students dressed and behaved, which he could understand considering her upbringing, but he was soon completely absorbed by reading.

Tara scooted a little closer to Xander every few minutes while pretending to shift because she had noticed a particularly loud laugh or brightly dressed whore. It took nearly ten minutes for her to subtly move close enough to almost touch him when she noticed a barely dressed girl with sluttishly large breasts eyeing him. Gathering up her courage she grabbed his arm and put it around her.

Xander was briefly surprised when Tara pulled his arm around her, but then he recalled how she'd been this morning and set his book to the side. He gently scooped her up and put her in his lap. "So, what are we reading?"

"The-The use of common her-herbs to treat spiritual maladies," Tara stuttered out a little, leaning back into his embrace. A quick glance showed the whore had moved onto easier prey and she smiled.

"What kind of spiritual maladies do people commonly suffer from?" Xander asked curiously. He slowly drew her into talking about what she knew on the subject and the two discussed what she was reading.

Dandelions bloomed in a ten foot circle around the pair, squirrels and birds put in an appearance and ate all their chips unnoticed by them.

Hours later he felt Tara shiver and realized the sun was setting. "Time for dinner," Xander decided, reluctantly picking Tara up off his lap. "What would you like to eat?"

Tara shrugged.

"Would you like to go to a restaurant?" he offered, as he gathered up their things. Tara wrinkled her nose. "Or we could pick up something to go and eat in the motorhome."

"I-I'd like that," Tara said quickly.

"Then that's what we'll do," he said taking her hand and lacing his fingers through her own.

The blushing girl smiled as they returned to the motorhome.

"Tonight, I will introduce you to the wonder of Mexican food," Xander said, "or pizza if you prefer."

"I like pizza," Tara said, recalling the school cafeteria serving it a few times though not regularly.

"Pizza it is then," Xander said. "Any preference for toppings?"

"There are different toppings?" she asked with surprise.

"I'll get us a meat lovers and a Hawaiian pizza," Xander said, "then you can experience it for yourself."

**After dinner**

"I love pizza," Tara said with a half lidded gaze that he'd usually only seen on a girl's face after sex.

"It is great," Xander agreed. "Let's get a motel room for tonight, I feel like a nice hot shower and a comfy bed."

"The beds in here are comfy," Tara assured him.

"Comfy enough," he agreed, "mainly I prefer the showers in motel rooms, the one in here is cramped."

Tara nodded, the feeling of hot water pouring on you from above with a door that locked was much more comfy than a bath in tepid water and a door that never seemed to stay shut, like at home.

Xander paid for a double and pulled the motorhome into the center of the lot under one of the light poles. No one was likely to bother it there and he wouldn't have to back out of a space in the morning. He loved the motorhome but backing out of a parking space was a bitch and a half.

Tara gathered a few books and some herbs along with a change of clothes, while Xander grabbed a change of clothes and toiletries. He didn't even notice his backpack, that he kept slaying supplies in, was already on his shoulder, the habit of keeping it close at hand habitual at this point.

The motel room was a bit worn, but clean and Tara could feel the laughter of children and strong family bonds that permeated the place, as it was a favored stopping spot for families who wanted to go to the park but did not like camping. Feeling such strong bonds was bittersweet considering how weak the ones in her own family were, but then demons probably don't feel familial bonds as deeply as humans do she realized.

"Do you want the first shower?" Xander offered.

"You go first," Tara told him before she started examining the room and taking a few candles out of her bag.

"Alright, I'll try not to use up all the hot water," Xander joked.

Tara didn't get the joke but smiled anyway feeling the humor behind it. As the bathroom door closed she quickly lit the candles and pulled out several of the ingredients they'd bought earlier that day.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Xander relaxed under the warmth of the spray, before grabbing the soap and working up a lather. As was his habit, he began to hum only to break out into song, "It's fun to stay at the YMCA! It's fun to stay at the YMCA!"

"Great acoustics," Xander said while he was drying off, noting that it made his voice sound a bit deeper and richer in tone.

Putting on a pair of clean boxers with teddy bears on them and a simple white shirt he exited the bathroom. "Bathroom's open," he said. Smelling the air, he realized she'd probably cast a cleansing or protection spell of some kind.

Tara nodded, averting her eyes from his but smiling as she entered the bathroom. The spell had worked! 'Was using magic still evil if you used it to remove evil from the world?' she wondered to herself as she closed the door behind her.

Tara stared at the lock button for a moment, unsure if she wanted him to come in while she was showering or not, before reminding herself that she was a demon so sinful behavior like mixed bathing was perfectly natural. Besides, maybe he'd wash her hair again, that had been nice.

Despite her hopes he didn't come in while she was showering, which was a bit of a relief, but also disappointing. 'I should have come in while he was showering,' she realized. Apparently as a succubus she was supposed to make not only the first move, but all the moves. It was so unfair, but a bit nice as well as she'd get to move things along at a pace she felt comfortable with, which being an incarnation of lust, would likely be a bit faster than he would choose.

He was already in bed when she came out, though not asleep yet as he had the bedside lamp on and was reading a book.

Tara smiled at the sight in the dimly lit room. She quietly retrieved a book for herself and set it on the nightstand before taking a deep breath and removing her shift. Dressed only in a bra and panties she lifted up the covers and slid in next to him.

Xander was surprised for a moment at Tara's actions but realized he shouldn't have been. She had been starved of simple human affection and touch for years. So naturally she was going to fill the need with whoever she felt safe with and at the moment that happened to be him. The trust she was showing him gave him a warm feeling in his chest and helped him push his libido down. Thankfully the high waisted granny panties and torso covering old fashioned bra helped. 'After all she's gone through, I must seem like an angel to her,' Xander thought, turning to the side in the small bed and cuddling with her. "So, what are we reading tonight?"

Snug in the arms of her demon Tara lived out her naughtiest fantasy… Tara turned and wordlessly tugged on his shirt. Once Xander had removed it the young succubus snuggled deep into his embrace and grabbed her book. "Demons of North America," she said quietly, practically radiating happiness.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"We gotta get up," Xander said shaking her gently.

"No," Tara said nuzzling his chest.

"While I do love snuggling with you, I need to pee," Xander told her.

"Okay," Tara said, reluctantly letting him go.

"I'll be right back," he promised.

"Okay," Tara said with a small pout that vanished as soon as he'd returned and slid under the covers, so he could snuggle with her.

"We have a couple more hours until we have to get up," Xander said, "is that sufficient snuggling time for today?" He grinned and gave her a squeeze.

"Maybe," Tara said, soaking in the warmth, "it seems to take a lot of snuggling to keep a succubus fed."

Xander laughed and rolled onto his back so she was laying on his chest. He gently stroked her back and she sighed happily. It was good to see her opening up enough to make a joke. "Any time you feel hungry just let me know, cause I quite like this."

"Okay," she said feeling a bit stronger and less uncertain now that she'd admitted aloud what she was. Of course, it really helped the she was with a fellow demon or part demon as he'd mentioned.

**Two hours, and not one second less, later…**

Tara got up and stretched, blushing as she realized how little she was wearing in the brightly lit room, right in front of Xander and hurried to get dressed in the bathroom.

Xander got dressed and packed up their things, amused by how Tara, shy little Tara, could be surprisingly aggressive, but only in certain situations. It was just so cute!

Her death had hit just as hard as Joyce's, if not harder, so was it any wonder that when offered a wish, even by The Hoff himself, he'd taken it?

He was given a single task in exchange for being sent to the past and it wasn't even one he disagreed with.

Tara came out of the bathroom, breaking his train of thought.

"Are you ready?" Xander asked while slowly making the correct hand signs.

"Yes, I'm ready," Tara said while carefully signing back, copying the last hand sign from him as he hadn't taught it to her before and looking to him for approval.

Xander smiled and nodded. "We can pick up something to eat on the road."

"What is Sunnydale like?" Tara asked as they left.

"On the surface it is the perfect little town to raise a family," he replied as he locked the door and they crossed the lot to where he'd parked. "Beneath the surface it's the perfect trap to lure in people for the vampires to feed on and beneath that… is yet another layer of danger that makes the vampires seem like cockroaches."

"R-really?" Tara asked nervously, as he unlocked the motorhome.

"It's easy to stay in the top level," Xander assured her, "all you have to do is not go out at night and ignore anything out of the ordinary. I really suck at that for some reason." He followed her inside and they both stowed their things and slipped into the front seats.

"Why live there?" she asked, as he started up the vehicle.

"Because it's easier to stop bad things from happening when you are where they happen," Xander said after a moment of thought. "I've been told I could live a normal life, have a wife, kids etc… and just stay out of it, but I'm just not built that way. I hear a scream coming from a dark alley, I run towards it."

Tara nodded as he pulled out into traffic. She supposed Brachen demons were really tough if a quarter Brachen could do that and survive. The more she leaned about him, the better she liked him, even if his aura was the stuff of nightmares.

Xander flipped on the radio looking for a good song to sing along to.

Tara tensed, but as he began to sing Guns and Roses' Sweet Child of Mine, she relaxed and smiled, humming along to the unfamiliar tune.

**Lunchtime**

They pulled into a rest stop on the middle of the Salt Flats in Utah. It was absolutely flat for miles in every direction.

"How?" Tara asked stunned.

"Well," Xander said slowly, "either I am the worst navigator since Moses, or someone is messing with us. I'm going to say the second is more likely."

"That's more the why than the how," a girl's voice spoke up from behind them.

Spinning around Xander saw a young girl, who looked like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, though her hair was red and eyes green. "If you start singing any nursery rhymes we are out of here."

"I don't even know what that means," she said, confused.

Xander sighed. "Who are you and why did you do this?"

"My name is Reflections of Truth in Moonlight and I'm a go between for mortals and The Ones Above All," she explained. "I redirected you here because your resurrecting a second slayer would… break things, like this world."

Xander thought about that for a second. "I'm going to call you Alice."

"Mortals are so weird," Alice complained.

"Kendra is scheduled to die and I have enough emergency medical experience to keep her hanging on long enough to be medically resurrected by the ER doctors," Xander guessed.

"Yes, that had been foreseen," Alice agreed. "We need you not to do that or the End of Days will be here before the new year."

"You have no idea what subtlety is, do you?" Xander asked.

Alice frowned. "But Whistler said it would be best to be straightforward with you, otherwise you would do something stupid and unforeseen."

"Not what I meant and he was right," Xander said. "What I mean is, why not send the slayer spirit on the instant a slayer's death become unavoidable? If you did that then there is no chance of further splitting the slayers line and my resuscitating her isn't a problem."

"That would constitute interference," Alice said while absently playing with a lock of hair.

"You have my permission in this case," Xander assured her.

"I think I'd need a little bit more than just a mortal's permission to mess with the balance," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"You're looking at it the wrong way," Xander said.

"A lower being is going to explain matters of balance to me?" she asked in stark disbelief her eyes turning silver for a moment.

"Yes, I am," Xander said. "You are not allowed to force people to obey you, requiring willing consent to act directly on this plane. I am giving you willing consent to use your powers in this manner in a situation I will be involved in."

Alice crossed her legs and sat on the air as she chewed a nail and thought about it. "That… would work," she decided. "It would be up to you to save her life; Kendra Young would no longer be our responsibility."

"Agreed," Xander said. "The instant Drusilla's fangs touch her skin the slayer spirit moves on to Faith Lehane as planned."

"Agreed," the little redhead said, vanishing.

Xander turned to Tara and saw how pale she looked. "You have a lot of questions?" he guessed.

Tara simply nodded.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"From the way you spoke of him I thought he'd be harder to manipulate or would do something I didn't expect… like attempt to shave my head," Alice told Whistler.

"As long as they think they have the upper hand, mortals are pretty easy to manipulate," Whistler assured her. "It's when they feel pressured or cornered, they do strange things."

She nodded. "Drusilla will not receive the additional strength she would have gotten from draining another slayer and Faith's activation will not be in the midst of getting raped and her accidentally killing the boy, a net gain for our side. Why did the other side agree to this?"

"The First Evil burned a lot of bridges," Whistler said smugly, "secure in its superiority."

"And those same forces it burned before would side with us just to burn it in return," Alice said with a nod. "Is that why you treat the lower beings the way you do, so such a thing, no matter how unlikely, will never happen to you?"

"I've seen lower beings rise up to become Powers, and Powers cast down to become lower beings," Whistler said, "so it is possible, but mainly… I appear weak to encourage them to grow strong, and kindness doesn't really cost me anything, so when I can I try and help out a little. It doesn't take a lot, just a subtle nudge to put people on the right track sometimes."

Alice nodded. "Lower beings can use all the help they can get."

"Exactly," Whistler said with a grin as Alice called up an image of Xander and Tara and watched the pair interact.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"So, you were giving advice to an angel," Tara said after a quick explanation, "not a little girl."

"No reason she can't be both," Xander said.

"A child angel?" Tara asked surprised.

"Power and knowledge beyond our comprehension," Xander said, "life experience of just a few years."

"So, her appearance was her real form?" Tara tried to wrap her mind around the concept.

"She gave us her name, part of which is 'truth', so her appearance and actions will likely always carry a good degree of truth to them," Xander explained. "Her real form may be some huge being of light and mist but transformed into a human form she's an adorable little girl."

"Why did you insist on calling her Alice?" Tara asked.

"Because she should get out of the habit of giving her true name down here," Xander said. "Whistler's true name isn't Whistler, he uses it because you never know who is listening down here."

"So, you weren't doing it just to annoy her?" Tara asked.

"I tease the people I like, especially if they need it," Xander admitted, "but in this case I'm just giving her a little nudge to pay attention to opsec, operational security."

"Nudging an angel?" Tara asked in disbelief.

"This world only works because we help each other," Xander said, "that's the big difference between us and them. It's not labels like demon or angel, it's what we choose to do. So, maybe my nudge wasn't needed and she already knew, but I still had to try and if I only managed to annoy her, that's okay too." Xander grinned. "I'm told patience and serenity are hallmarks of higher beings."

**Typing by: fyrewolf5**

**AN: I have a plot! How did this happen?**

**TN: I have no idea how you got a plot, but I'm glad to hear it. And the delicious misunderstandings continue.**

**TN2: For anyone who hasn't figured out what spell Tara cast go read the first couple of chapters, and you should be able to figure it out.**


	5. Chapter 5

Glancing down at the fuel gauge Xander decided they needed to stop for gas, so he took the next off ramp and pulled into a truck stop.

"Do you need to use the restroom or want something to drink?" Xander asked, as he clipped his keys to his belt.

"I am a little thirsty," Tara admitted.

"They probably have Slurpees here," Xander told her as they got out.

"I've never had a Slurpee," Tara said, not recalling having ever run across one before and guessing it was because her home town didn't have a truck stop.

"Trust me, you'll love it," Xander assured her as they crossed the lot and entered the store.

Tara followed Xander closely, wanting to grab his hand, but thinking it too forward. Papa had always told her that young people holding hands lead to other things, though he wouldn't say what those things were.

"Cherry or blueberry?" Xander asked as he lead her to the Slurpee machine, smelling the sweet siren call of sugary goodness as soon as they entered the store.

"Cherry," Tara said softly as she reached up and pushed her horn-rimmed glasses further up her nose.

"Cherry it is," Xander said, grabbing two large Styrofoam cups and sticking one under each spout before filling them, a cherry for her and a blueberry for him.

A few seconds later they got in line behind a thin Asian man who was wearing a cowboy hat and boots.

"Ten on five," the man told the cashier, handing her the bill and waiting for her to credit the pump before departing.

"Two Slurpees and twenty on two," Xander said, handing her the money.

Tara picked up a flyer off the counter, frowning as she read it while following Xander out.

"Here you go," Xander said as they stepped outside, passing her the cherry Slurpee.

"Thank you," Tara said, using both hands to hold the large cup.

"What you got there?" Xander asked curiously while Tara sipped her first Slurpee, her eyes widening in surprise.

"This is good," she said taking a long pull before wincing.

"Brain freeze," Xander told her, "it'll go away in a second, you can't drink Slurpees too fast or that will happen."

"Ow," Tara said, forcing herself not to take another sip of her drink until the pain had passed, she handed Xander the flyer she'd gotten off the counter.

"Missing kid," Xander noted as he read the details.

"I'd like to help," Tara admitted, "but if the local witch can't locate her, I don't think I'd do much better."

"Most places don't have a witch to call on," Xander said as he set his Slurpee on top of the pump so he could fill the tank.

"But this place is huge," Tara said, glancing at the small town visible behind the truck stop. "It's big enough to have at least a couple on call."

"Magic isn't that common most places," Xander said. "Heck, the majority of the world doesn't even believe it's real."

Tara just stared at him dumbfounded.

"I know," Xander said, "it's like they're all in denial, but magic is a pretty rare talent and most people keep it a secret."

"But we went to a shop," Tara said, trying to wrap her mind around it.

"Did you notice how much of the stuff in the shop was just for decoration?"

"A lot," Tara realized, "and there were books that didn't look useful at all."

"They sell a lot of fake stuff so people can play at magic, distracting them from the real thing."

"Oh," Tara said quietly before taking a cautious sip of her Slurpee. "Does this mean I could help?"

Xander nodded as the pump dinged, reaching twenty and he returned the gas nozzle to the pump. "We just have to be sneaky about it because they don't believe in magic."

Tara smiled and climbed in the RV with Xander, placing their cups in the console. "How do we do it while being sneaky?"

"We stop by the police station, see what we can find out, like where they've searched already, they like that. If she is in an area they hadn't checked we can claim we're searching because we didn't want to redo work that's already been done," he explained.

Tara winced and put the Slurpee back down having given herself another brain freeze while he'd talked. "And if she's in an area they have already searched?"

"Then we come up with a good reason we are checking an area they'd already gone over," Xander said. "We can even claim it looked like a good place to search because we wanted to help but were scared of finding a body. It'd make us look like lucky cowards, but they'd also accept it without question."

Tara nodded. "I have everything I need for a locator spell except for a map of the area."

"I'll grab one from the truck stop," Xander said, "be right back."

Tara nodded and took another sip of her Slurpee wincing at the resulting pain before setting it back down and resolving to take it slow as Xander suggested. It was difficult to do magic when distracted by a headache after all.

She took another sip and winced once more, not even remembering picking it up. Recalling one of the punishments in grade school, she sat on her hands so she couldn't pick it up. After a few seconds the brain freeze had worn off and she sighed in relief. Slurpees were dangerously addictive!

**0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Xander returned to the RV with a map in hand only to find Tara sitting on her hands and leaning forward in her seat, straining against her seat belt to reach the straw of her drink without picking it up.

She looked at him embarrassed and blushed under the wave of amusement and affection she felt from him.

"Got a map," Xander said.

"I've got everything I need then," Tara said. Unbuckling her belt and leaning forward to get a sip off her Slurpee before getting up to go in the back.

"Let me park in the lot real quick," Xander said starting the Winnebago and slowly pulling away from the pumps and into the lot. It only took a minute to park before he headed to the back to see what Tara was doing.

Tara had laid the map out on the table and was making a small pile of salt on the corner of the map when Xander sat down at the table across from her. She was so wrapped up in her work she didn't even notice him, as she sprinkled a red powder above the map and chanted something to help aid her concentration. The red powder vanished and the salt crystals slowly marched across the map, like a line of ants to create a small tower above the police station.

"Guess they found her," Xander said.

Tara smiled. "I'm glad she's okay." She cleared up the mess, dropping the salt in the trash and folding up the map. Once she was finished she stood in front of him with her hands at her side. "I'm ready for my punishment now."

"Bwah?" was Xander's confused response.

"For using magic," she explained.

"I'm... not following you," Xander said confused.

"Magic is a necessary evil, but it's still evil," she explained, thinking about how she'd used a spell to fix his demonic voice, a tad guiltily, "so after I cast a spell I'm usually spanked so I don't forget."

Xander pushed away his anger at her family and reached out to hug her only to find she'd taken that as the signal he was ready to spank her as she laid herself across his lap and flipped up her dress. Even the well-worn white granny panties didn't detract from the view and it's resulting effects on his libido. Xander barely stopped his left hand from checking firmness and he had a sudden urge for peaches.

Xander nervously cleared his throat. "I won't punish you for using magic responsibly to help others," he told her. "There is nothing inherently evil about the magic you used."

"Oh," Tara said quietly, but made no move to get off his lap. "I also cast a spell on you yesterday when you were in the shower to improve your singing," she blurted out.

Xander was surprised to hear that, but not upset. "Thank you," he replied.

"You're not mad?" she asked turning her head to meet his gaze which he quickly wrenched away from her rear.

"I'm not mad," he assured her, "I've been told my singing voice could use some work."

"But I cast a spell on you without your permission," she pointed out. "That's bad," she said firmly.

"Not when it's done to help someone, though asking permission should be done if there's time," Xander replied.

"I had time and didn't ask," Tara admitted.

"I know, but I'm not mad," Xander said, softly stroking her back. "I trust you."

"So… no spanking?" Tara asked, unsure why she was feeling disappointed.

"Not for either spell," Xander said with a smile, forcing his hand a little further up as he stroked her as it had drifted a bit low.

"Oh, okay," Tara said quietly still not moving after a few seconds of silence she asked, "Could you feed me?"

"Sure, what would you like?"

"Cuddling," she said firmly, "I want to cuddle," she blushed and faced the floor as she spoke, embarrassed to admit her demonic needs aloud.

"I'd love to," Xander said. After a few more moments of quiet he added, "You'll have to get up so we can put the table down, so we'll have room."

"Okay," Tara said reluctantly getting up and a little perplexed at her own behavior; she'd never been disappointed that her Pa hadn't whupped her.

Xander put the table down and rearranged it back into a bed, kicking off his boots before getting ready to lay down, seeing that Tara was looking at him expectantly he reached for the buttons of his shirt and was rewarded with a small smile. Tossing his shirt to the side he looked back at her and saw she was looking at his pants. Noting the silent request a lot faster this time they quickly joined his boots on the floor.

Tara smiled as he laid down on the bed in just his boxers, but found herself frozen in place unable to take off her dress as he watched her. Thankfully he seemed to understand as he put a hand over his eyes so she could quickly shed her clothes and crawl up onto the bed. "Ahh," she let out a pleased little moan as he wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his chest.

"Agreed," Xander said, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and hoping she wouldn't notice his little 'problem'.

Tara had indeed noticed his 'little' problem and recalled how it was because she was wicked and sinful, but then she was a succubus so that was alright, it was perfectly natural for her to cause him to do that.

'Maybe that's why I was disappointed,' she thought to herself, 'Succubusess are sinful and deserve spankings'. Satisfied with that thought she burrowed deeper into his arms reveling in feeling the warmth of his skin and the musky smell her demon possessed.

'Tara likes girls,' Xander reminded himself, a bit disturbed about how much he was enjoying holding her and determined not to screw things up.

Eventually the two fell asleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

The sun was setting as they pulled back onto the highway.

"Peaceful easy feeling," Xander sang along with the radio, making Tara smile, no longer feeling guilty about having used magic on him.

Shortly her voice joined his as they rolled down the highway.

"How long until we reach Sunnydale?" Tara asked curiously as she spotted a sign that said they were entering Nevada.

"From the looks of things another day, maybe two," Xander said, "they keep moving the map on us to make sure we don't arrive too early."

"I had wondered about that," Tara admitted, "but I thought I'd just mistaken where we were."

"No, it's Alice or at least I think it is," he said thoughtfully, "I've noticed that if I drive slower we get closer quicker if that makes any sense."

"It does," Tara assured him with a smile, something she found herself doing more and more the longer she was with him, and the further she was away from 'home'.

"Of course when we get there we'll have to keep a low profile while I figure out when I need to go to the library and what I'll need for when I get there, since I have to wait until after Kendra has been bit," he said with a frustrated sigh. "I understand and agree with what Alice and Whistler have planned, but I worry I won't be able to save her, even if they are so sure I will that they set all this up."

"You should believe in yourself, they do," Tara offered.

"I have a long history of doubting myself," Xander said, "it makes me cautious and keeps me from screwing up… sometimes at least."

"Kidnapping me went well," Tara pointed out before giggling at the absurdity of the situation.

Xander laughed. "I had that planned seven ways from Sunday with tons of backup plans to make sure that went well. I can't tell you how relieved I was to see you alive and well."

"Why?" she asked, still surprised he valued her so much when no one but her momma had before.

"The future I'm making sure doesn't happen… you died from an idiot waving a gun around. It was a one in a million chance as you just happened to be standing next to a window on the second story of a nearby house," Xander explained. "Of course, now everything has changed and I'll be making sure you don't end up staying in that house as well as making sure said idiot doesn't end up waving a gun outside it."

"We must have been good friends," Tara said.

"The best," he assured her.

Tara beamed; she'd never been so happy to be a demon in her life. As long as her demon was with her, she didn't fear the future at all. Now she just had to figure out how to get him to spank her…

**Typing by: fyrewolf5**

**AN:There was a reason she and Willow got along so well…**

**TN: It's always the quiet ones. Now for the even more complicated love/lust lines of the series to get even more complicated. Xander still kinda likes Buffy at least, Willow is still telling herself Xander should be with her, even though she's with Oz, and now potentially could be interested in Tara, or jealous that Xander left without telling her, Plus the whole Cordelia debacle, and depending on if this is the world reworked or not, Dawn's crush on him. I'm sure having Tara added to the mix will make everything far simpler. lol**


End file.
